Making the Most of an Internship

Every college strives to offer their students’ the most help possible in obtaining successful jobs after college. There are job and internship fairs, advisors to point you in the right direction, and most schools have career centers offering a number of services from securing interviews to creating mock interviews in order to learn how to deliver what an employer looks for. In my experience, I have learned that internships can teach more than most jobs and help you weed out career choices that you’re unsure of. In searching for internships I have compiled a few tips that have helped me since beginning my college career:


-Begin looking early in the year:

• It’s never too early to start trolling the bulletin boards posted around campus. Companies start to look for spring candidates in the beginning of fall and like to secure their recruits by winter.

• Check out the career center and ask if there is any internship their advisors would suggest. A lot of advisors like when you’re personable and contact them for information because they get to know your personality and what would suit you better.

• Don’t wait until the last minute to apply if you find something you like. Recruiters like having a good amount of time to see you’d match what they’re looking for.

-Identify your interests (broaden your search)

• Of course it’s important to know what you’d like to do but taking up an internship that satisfies a hobby could be a rewarding experience and point you in a new career direction.

• Knowing the field you’re interested in, look for jobs that have a base in that field but offer you an experience you would find ‘out of the box’.

-Use your resources!!

• Websites such as www.Internships.com, MonsterTRAK, and school classified ad sites (FSU’s is SeminoleLink) offer many internships and small jobs that will usually accommodate a student’s schedule.

• Have a professor or TA that you’re particularly friendly with or shares interesting stories with the class that have caught your attention? Set a meeting with them to personally introduce yourself and see if they know of anything in their field that would fit your interests well.

• Meet with a representative at your local career center to perfect your interview manner.

• Get that resume in tiptop shape. Have a few copies printed or the online document handy in case an opportunity falls into your lap and you want to show off your experience.

-Time matters

• Every company that offers you a place on their team is going to expect 100% of your efforts. Don’t let them down by not devoting enough consideration to projects by having a schedule that will not fit enough internship-time.

• Discuss your schedule with a possible employer and make sure that you both will be satisfied with the time you can lend them.

-Give it your all (no ifs, ands or buts about it!)

• Whether or not your internship is your dream connection, give it your all. You never know the connections you’ll meet within the company and they might be able to help you in the future.

• Do your best to satisfy your employer and to gain as much knowledge from the experience as possible.

Using these tips, embark on a search for a great match that will hopefully put your career on a path to success.

College Test Prep: Study and Exam Tips

Here we are about six weeks from the spring semester finish line! It’s a common feeling that once spring break is over, it’s crunch time for those grades. With most tests behind in the semester, those dreaded finals loom ahead. So what’s the best way to prepare? After a couple years of figuring out a good method of studying and preparing, I’ve compiled a list that have always seem to work for me. Knowing that an array of motivations drive students to earn the grades they want, early preparation and good scheduling can be a students’ best friend. Try these out as you approach your final hurdle:


Information is key-

• Find out all the details about the test you can from your instructor (cumulative, essay, multiple choice etc.).

• Seek out old students’ recall about the material (college forums usually have discussion boards with specific schools for students to blog on).

• It never hurts to ask your instructor if they’d be willing to let the class peek at previous semester’s tests (most won’t mind if the content has been adjusted) and review what you can remember from your own previous tests.


Avoid the cramming-

• Now is a good time to go through your material and sort out how much time you’ll need to devote to each class in order to get the grade you want to achieve.

• Skim through the material you’ll be learning in the upcoming weeks so you don’t spend your time reviewing all previous information and wind up feeling like you haven’t a grasp on the current material.

• Train yourself to use a variety a learning styles: audio learning, flash cards, diagrams. (www.flashcardmachine.com is a good website for a variety of tools.)


Location, location, location-

• Sure, the library is full of books and scholarly material, but it’s also full of distractions. People watching and web surfing act as the perfect distraction for the average college student avoiding their studying. Try to pick an isolated stop where you’re least likely to let your eyes and mind wander.

• Some of us like to listen to music while we study (I can’t concentrate for 5 minutes without a little bit of background noise!). Find which kind of background helps you and stick to it while you study. Turn off the TV, and remove clutter from your surroundings that offer possible distraction.


As we approach test week-

• Look for emails from other students offering group studying or the good Samaritan who sends out their created study guide so you can see if they have anything you might have missed. Or better yet manage your notes and study guides with classmates on NoteLog.com.

• Get sleep; staying up all night is physically and mentally draining, and energy drinks aren’t a good sustenance for anyone.

• Get clarification on any of the material you’re unclear of.

• Most important: don’t psych yourself out! If you’ve prepared properly and think you have a handle on the material, have confidence in yourself, stress won’t help you pass the test.

Have a happy crunch time!

Lindsay Marder
Social Learning Guru

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